Conventional belt flying systems for food products, such as french fries or other potato products are well known. However, such conventional systems suffer from many drawbacks which reduce the efficiency of the system. For example, in many conventional belt frying systems, a large amount of energy is required to heat the frying oil in the system; however, the flying systems are not well-contained and therefore, much of this energy is quickly lost to the atmosphere in the form of steam. Also, many conventional belt frying systems are difficult to clean and have structures that collect crumbs or other debris, thereby degrading oil quality and, in some cases, creating potential fire hazards.